Fueler jugs ?? Best value ??

[sweetpea]

fuel.jpg


I started with the *Kavan pump--- $30

2 gallon gas can ---$5

I got a 3 way switch from Radio shack--- $6

I had plenty of wire at my house ---FREEBIE

I had grey spray paint already-----FREEBIE

I got my fuel filter at Autozone----$4

I used velcro to hold the battery on (**the pic shows zipties, I changed that out)--FREEBIE

I used Tygon ----$6

I originally used a ***2400 LION pack to power it that wasn't holding a charge very good so it wasn't flight worthy but perfect for ground ops

attached all the items to some light junk wood (thin partical board) and then sho-gooed it to the can (note: the sho-goo is not fuel proof so don't spill gas on it or it will start to come off....mines worked for 4yrs so far though)


*the kavan pump started leaking in cold weather after 2 yrs of use, was fine in very hot weather. I then bought the greylor pump for $54 online

**I had orginally used Zipties but they then proved difficult to reinstall and I thought better of leaving the battery in the unit while charging. The velcro makes it a quick way to take the battery out for charging. I also unplug my battery when the system is not in use.

***I have now upgraded to a 3-cell LION pack at 11.1v The pump can handle 12v so this works great. It fuels/defuels even faster! The battery lasts quite awhile as well. I typically charge it up every 2-3 weeks on my triton (cost $30)


So total amount I've spent on my pump

Original amount $51 (give or take a few dollars) 1 night of time

Total amount with upgrades ($84+$51=$135) If you did it my last way from the start it would be about $100

So I saved enough to buy a servo for my next plane. Abell/Jersey cans typically go for $199.99 + shipping


My other project at the same time was a smoke jug.

I did the exact same thing except instead of a gas can I used an old metal glo container. I painted it and applied some Supri-Dri stickers (after cleaing the inside of course). The Kavan pump there has worked for 3yrs with no problems

[imacflyr3]

As promised, here are the photos of my homemade fueler. Please excuse the clutter....I took these inside the trailer right after getting home from a contest.

The first photo shows the front view looking at the pump unit. This is an abs outdoor junction box from Lowes. It has a rubber seal that should keep out minor spills. It's mounted to a piece of 22ga sheet metal which hangs on the neck of the jug and wraps around the side and underneath the jug. I wanted it to wrap under like this to try to keep a static charge from building around the pump. This is probably not a real concern, but why take a chance.

Photo 2 shows the strap wrapped around the pump unit and through the back handle of the jug. This is a quick release cargo strap from Harbor Freight, cut to length to fit my needs....around $3.

Photo 3 shows the filter side of the unit. The filter is a cheap inline filter from Farm n Fleet....less than $5 if I remember correct. It's attached with a broomstick holder that I had layin around. It's a bit tight, so I'll probably have to make a small adjustment to it. The holder is held on with a 4-40 screw and nyloc nut.

Photo 4 is the switch side. I used double pole/single throw switches so I could use covers on them. The covers on the switches came on some other switches from Harbor Freight. ...loved the carbon fiber look, so I had to use them!! You can get covers at Autozone too. The covers are for more than just looks....these keep the unit from being turned on accidentally in the trailer while I'm bouncin down the road.

Photo 5....The "guts" of the pump unit! There's really nothing special here. The black box thing on the red wire up front is an inline blade fuse holder. This will keep bad things from happening if I inadvertently turn on both switches. The switches are wired so one pumps the fuel in...the other pumps the fuel out. I used wire splicers to make the connections (the blue things). The other connectors are either butt splices or insulated blade connectors.

Photo 6....Same "stuff" as photo 5.

Photo 7 shows how the pump is mounted to the top of the junction box. I used 4-40 screws with nyloc nuts and washers. The wires are fed through a hole drilled in one of the diagonal corners of the box. I used shrink wrap on the pump wires to help protect them as they came through the box. I still have to fill the hole around the wire with something....probably something similar to shoo goo...suggestions?

Photo 8 shows another view of the interior. The battery is sitting at the bottom left of the photo. This is just a cheap 8 cell nicad pack from Radio Shack that came with it's own charger. I'm sure I'll swap this out at a later date, but for now it works very well. You can also see the connector used for the battery hanging in the air (the white thing up by the switches). For now the battery just sits loose inside the box. The jug doesn't see enough movement or vibration to really require hard mounting, but I'm sure I'll do something in the future...probably velcro.

Photo 9 shows the pump unit removed from the jug. I wanted to be able to easily remove it for filling and winter storage. You can more easily see the shape of the metal bracket here. The box is attached in the same way as the motor....4-40 screws w/nyloc nuts. I do have the box spaced away from the metal bracket by the width of the nylon nuts. This allows any drips from the jug to go down behind the box to the ground without going in the holes in the back of the box.


So, that's about it. Let me know if you have any questions or want to see more images.

Thanks!!

GH

[zoomer260]

	Quote: Originally Posted by sweetpea
	go to dreamworks.com They have the pump there (greylor or greycor) If you search online sometimes you can find it slightly cheaper. All you really need is a 3 way switch. left is fuel middle is off right is defuel or vice versa. You'll spend less than $100 if you do it yourself.

Ahh cough, cough. Not a three way switch. A double pole double throw switch. Radio Shack carries them in several "handle" and terimination styles. $4.00.

[zoomer260]

	Quote: Originally Posted by imacflyr3
	As promised, here are the photos of my homemade fueler. Please excuse the clutter....I took these inside the trailer right after getting home from a contest. The first photo shows the front view looking at the pump unit. This is an abs outdoor junction box from Lowes. It has a rubber seal that should keep out minor spills. It's mounted to a piece of 22ga sheet metal which hangs on the neck of the jug and wraps around the side and underneath the jug. I wanted it to wrap under like this to try to keep a static charge from building around the pump. This is probably not a real concern, but why take a chance. Photo 2 shows the strap wrapped around the pump unit and through the back handle of the jug. This is a quick release cargo strap from Harbor Freight, cut to length to fit my needs....around $3. Photo 3 shows the filter side of the unit. The filter is a cheap inline filter from Farm n Fleet....less than $5 if I remember correct. It's attached with a broomstick holder that I had layin around. It's a bit tight, so I'll probably have to make a small adjustment to it. The holder is held on with a 4-40 screw and nyloc nut. Photo 4 is the switch side. I used double pole/single throw switches so I could use covers on them. The covers on the switches came on some other switches from Harbor Freight. ...loved the carbon fiber look, so I had to use them!! You can get covers at Autozone too. The covers are for more than just looks....these keep the unit from being turned on accidentally in the trailer while I'm bouncin down the road. Photo 5....The "guts" of the pump unit! There's really nothing special here. The black box thing on the red wire up front is an inline blade fuse holder. This will keep bad things from happening if I inadvertently turn on both switches. The switches are wired so one pumps the fuel in...the other pumps the fuel out. I used wire splicers to make the connections (the blue things). The other connectors are either butt splices or insulated blade connectors. Photo 6....Same "stuff" as photo 5. Photo 7 shows how the pump is mounted to the top of the junction box. I used 4-40 screws with nyloc nuts and washers. The wires are fed through a hole drilled in one of the diagonal corners of the box. I used shrink wrap on the pump wires to help protect them as they came through the box. I still have to fill the hole around the wire with something....probably something similar to shoo goo...suggestions? Photo 8 shows another view of the interior. The battery is sitting at the bottom left of the photo. This is just a cheap 8 cell nicad pack from Radio Shack that came with it's own charger. I'm sure I'll swap this out at a later date, but for now it works very well. You can also see the connector used for the battery hanging in the air (the white thing up by the switches). For now the battery just sits loose inside the box. The jug doesn't see enough movement or vibration to really require hard mounting, but I'm sure I'll do something in the future...probably velcro. Photo 9 shows the pump unit removed from the jug. I wanted to be able to easily remove it for filling and winter storage. You can more easily see the shape of the metal bracket here. The box is attached in the same way as the motor....4-40 screws w/nyloc nuts. I do have the box spaced away from the metal bracket by the width of the nylon nuts. This allows any drips from the jug to go down behind the box to the ground without going in the holes in the back of the box. So, that's about it. Let me know if you have any questions or want to see more images. Thanks!! GH

I like it !! Never occured to me to use a Carlon PVC box to mount it all to. I've been trying to make time to build my own fueler this season and it's looking more and more like a Winter project. I have two pumps a Kavan (I think) and a Sig gas passer NIB. Your fueler looks like what I want.

[buildflycrash]

here's another I found...

http://www.geistware.com/rcmodeling/..._can/index.htm

[wylieruneyjr]

My friends all use gravity feed systems, old B&B fuel tank with a fuel nipple near bottom. Fuel ine on bottom nipple connects to plane durning fueling, and then to vent nipple at top of tank when finished. They just sit tank atop cowl and let gravity do all the work! cheapest system I ever seen.